


Music Of The Night

by Wolfsbride



Category: Phantom of the Opera RPF
Genre: Age Difference, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-04
Updated: 2013-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-03 12:10:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfsbride/pseuds/Wolfsbride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A private performance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Music Of The Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [voksen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/voksen/gifts).



> This scribble was inspired by too much watching of [this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cqhkd21GUI&noredirect=1) \- they're holding hands, for gosh sakes! -, the awesomely twisted song named in the title and a fervent desire to have Colm and Ramin sing to each other. I regret nothing!
> 
> For those that want to skip, Ramin comes in around the four minute mark.

Ramin leaned against the railing of the balcony and stared at the view before him. The stars in the London sky competed with the multiple windows of light that surrounded his hotel. It was a beautiful evening but the adrenaline of performing had faded leaving him feeling a bit empty and melancholy. He sighed.

Then a sensation of being watched teased the back of his mind and his skin prickled with awareness. He tensed slightly. He wasn’t really worried; the hotel’s security was top notch. But there was always that little niggle of doubt. Before he could turn around, a firm hand clasped his shoulder and he relaxed completely.

“Are you brooding?” Colm moved to Ramin’s side but didn’t move his hand.

Ramin took the opportunity to lean against him. He was once again grateful for Colm's prolific career. It meant that they could spend time together on a fairly regular basis without raising anyone's suspicions. “I’m not brooding. Erik is all put away for the night.” He was fully aware of the petulant tone of his voice.

Colm chuckled. “Sulking then?”

“Maybe a little.” He muttered.

Colm tightened his one armed hug. “Perhaps we should have it put into our contracts. No hand holding interruptus.”

That broke Ramin out of his dark mood and he started to laugh. “Yeah, I can just see trying to negotiate that,” he said after getting his laughter under control.

Colm shrugged.

The two of them were quiet for a moment then Colm spoke. “So? Talk to me.”

Now Ramin was the one to shrug. “I... It’s nothing. Just thinking.”

Lowering his arm, Colm turned so that he was looking at Ramin’s profile, then reached out and turned Ramin to face him. “Hey. This is me.” He didn’t let go of Ramin’s arms.

His expression softening, Ramin touched Colm’s face. “I was thinking about Toronto.”

“You were a scrawny little thing.” Colm’s smile conveyed his affection.

“Hey!” Ramin pinched Colm’s cheek and then laughed. “Yeah, I was, wasn’t I?”

“Yes, all gangly arms and legs and knobbly knees. You grew up well, though. Do you know what stood out to me most about our first meeting?”

Ramin’s lips twitched. “How dare this brat accost me?”

Colm cuffed him playfully. “Brat indeed. I remember being amazed and impressed by your passion. It was astonishing to me that you knew so clearly what you wanted at so young an age.”

That made Ramin smile, dimples and all. Moving closer, he slipped his arms around Colm’s waist, while Colm let go of his arms to slide his hands around Ramin’s broad back. “That was all you, you know. That was a hard time for me. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I mean, I liked pretending to be someone else, but I didn’t know if I could make a career out of it. Especially since my parents were expecting me to join the family business. Would it be worth upsetting my family?

“Then I got the chance to see your performance. And that just cemented things for me. I wanted that. I wanted to be the one moving the audience to tears or joy or anger. Watching you, I knew that feeling – when the music and the story moves through you and sparks the audience’s emotions – I knew that feeling was worth everything.”

Ramin’s eyes were lit with the passion that Colm had spoken of and he couldn’t help himself. Pulling him closer, Colm ran his hands from Ramin’s back to nape of his neck and encouraged him to dip his head. Then he kissed him; a slow familiar kiss. Unhurried with no expectations, it conveyed the love and regard they had for each other and hinted at the banked fires that lay within.

When the two men drew apart, Colm ran his fingers through Ramin’s hair, which was still a bit damp from showering out all the gunk it took to keep it slicked back. He tugged on it a little, then grinned. “I’ve always wanted to sing a duet with you. If you grow your hair longer you'd make a beautiful Christine.”

Laughing, Ramin shook his head. “Not with this nose.” Taking Colm’s hand, he quickly became more serious. “That would be… I don’t think I have words. To be able to share the stage - that feeling - for more than a few lines, a few moments with you would be…”

“Inspiring.”

“Yes.”

“Dangerous.”

“Mm. We’re both professionals. We could tone it down.”

Colm took Ramin’s other hand. Curling his fingers around Ramin’s he looked him in the eyes and began to sing.

_Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation_

It was like the words entered Ramin’s ears and curled themselves around his nervous system. Suddenly, everything focused crystal clear. He could feel the rasp of Colm’s palms against his own. The way Colm’s accent deepened resonated inside him.

_Darkness stirs and wakes imagination_

Ramin trembled and found himself leaning closer without having made the conscious decision to move.

_Silently your senses abandon their defenses_

He took another step, which pressed him up against Colm. Their hands were still clasped between them. Colm’s comment about Christine came back to him then and he imagined this was what she must have felt. That pull and unveiling of things she’d not known about herself.

Feeling the way he always did on stage though there was no orchestra or ensemble to accompany him, Ramin closed his eyes as he took over the song.

 _Helpless to resist the notes you write_

Colm raising their joined hands made Ramin open his eyes again. Colm pressed a kiss against their fingers and they finished together.

_For we compose the music of the night_

Their voices blended together, harmonizing gently as they held the last note. When they both stopped it seemed like the sound lingered a few seconds before fading away.

The two men stared at each other for a few minutes before Ramin cleared his throat. “Um. Yes. Perhaps not the best of ideas.”

Pulling Ramin into a tight embrace, Colm whispered against his neck. “I don’t know if you have any idea how _proud_ I am of you.”

Ramin’s shoulders shook as he laughed. “I have a pretty good idea, old man. The way you look at me when we’re on stage together – it’s totally proud papa.”

Colm laughed as he stepped back. “Grandpa maybe. And good. That means my cover is holding. But seriously, Ramin. When you told me you wanted to play the Phantom…”

“You told me to give it fifteen years.” Ramin finished for him. It was a well-worn tale.

“And you did the impossible in twelve. You’re here. You’ve accomplished your dream. Do you know how few people can say that?” Colm noticed the slight change in Ramin’s expression immediately.

“Ahhh. You _were_ brooding. About this? About being where you wanted to be?”

Ramin blushed and looked down. “I know it’s stupid. Like you said. So few of us make it in this industry. It’s just… This is the third time I've played the Phantom in some form. So, I'm having a glorious run, but it's going to end, and then what?”

Cupping Ramin’s face in his hands, Colm smiled. “Then you grab hold of another dream.”

Giving Ramin a quick kiss, Colm pulled him away from the view. "Come on. This is a conversation to be had on a couch not a balcony."

"Afraid I'll throw myself off?"

"Hush."

Ramin followed Colm inside and together they settled on the hotel's plush sofa.


End file.
